God some people must get laughed at in the real world. Apple TV was originally released January 2007 and Media Center was original released in July 2002.
That took 30 seconds of my time and Wikipedia, which I know for a fact 6 year old kids can use these days to verify information.
Get a clue or be a joke. Those are the options.
Back on track... I wish I could go into an exec meeting at Microsoft and systematically crack the heads together of everyone present.
First they back Media Center, then they essentially stop updating it for a couple of years and focus on Xbox... which happens to have a Media Center Extender... which requires a full PC running the somewhat supported Win 7 Media Center to work... but then to Xbox they add the Marketplace for movies and cable TV over the internet (AFAIK Australia only ATM) outside of the Media Center Extender functionality...
...just as it looks like they are going to focus on the Xbox as their living room device (games/marketplace/IPTV and Silverlight support for an extended "App Store") this news leaks which puts the focus back on Media Center.
There is nothing wrong with two devices for two different markets, but relevant functionality needs to be supported on both platforms. If they are going with Media Center on Windows 7 Embedded it needs to support everything the Xbox does. A better idea would be to move the existing Media Center functionality into the Xbox.
In any case Microsoft have flip-flopped on this for almost a decade now. It's time to pick a strategy.
i'm not at all suggesting that Apple is THE progenitor of all great ideas however why is it that when Apple is involved in a certain category of product somehow legitimizes it for bigger companies such as Microsoft, now Google, to enter even if that category of product had already existed before Apple's entry?
name a feature of the apple TV that didn't appear in another product before ATV2 came out?
not that this isn't a dumb product from MS. why would i pay $300 for another box when all my HDMI ports are already taken up by my cable box, x-box and PS3?
it's like everyone is trying to sell a box these days but people forget that most TV's only have 2-3 HDMI ports
Can you guys stop including this stupid "observation" Matt Burns (not MG Siegler) made into every post about Google TV.
Quote:
Just a month after releasing a combination Google TV Blu-Ray device, Sony slashed its prices, suggesting that sales of the device were off to a sluggish start.
It was a $100 off deal during Black Friday weekend.
How quickly people forget about the year Microsoft went after the TiVo market with a dud called Ultimate TV. Turned out to be an ultimate failure. TiVo is still around.
Microsoft has been down this road before and quickly retreated when trounced.
It is inexpensive, unobtrusive, and does just enough to complement the Vizio TV with Vizio Internet Apps. The main thing we use it for it streaming media (audio and video) from our iTunes computer, which it does beautifully.
We have not rented anything from iTunes yet because we have Amazon on the TV, and a plethora of streaming technologies on our new (and wonderful) Sony S370 Blu-Ray Media device.
Microsoft could do really well at this provided they don't screw it up.
And if my aunt had a dick, she'd be my uncle. Which is more likely than this turning out well for MS. They'll dump half $billion or so into R&D, then dump the product 6 months months after release, when nobody buys it.
Wait a minute... didn't Microsoft try something like this with UltimateTV (or was it MSN TV) 10 years ago (and got promptly slapped down by the government after TiVO complained)?
What makes them think they'll be able to manage it this go 'round without being slapped down again?
Ask that to every manufacturer/seller who's offering deals during Black Friday.
and all the "deals" sucked
the laptops were all core 2 duo and older CPU's that were being hyped. mostly because everyone was stocking up on sandy bridge laptops and needed to clear old inventory
the PS3 had a deal later in december because the x-box with kinect was outselling it 2 to 1. almost no deals on the x-box with kinect. only deals were bundles where you might get $10 off but the price is the same as buying it all piece by piece.
lots of PS3 games on sale but not too much x-box ones. only the older x-box games were on sale like the force unleashed which i picked up for $5 after i bought Black Ops for $59.99
nobody wanted 3d tv and LED wasn't that big a seller either so those prices were slashed as well
... Microsoft already has a real competitor to the Apple TV, it is called the Xbox. ...
Which is why this product [Windows-based set top box] doesn't make any sense. Microsoft needs to accept the fact that Windows as a brand just doesn't carry positive expectations. (This is problematic for Windows Phone 7 as well.) People aren't going to buy something because they call it Windows TV. If anything, the name will be off-putting: Windows, in the public consciousness, equals complicated, hard to manage, something will always go wrong. Nor is the Windows interface useful in this type of product, so, very likely, this will have as much to do with Windows as WP7 does.
What would make sense, especially now that they've moved into the family oriented living room with Kinect (Xbox alone was always a bit of a geek/gamer toy) is to release something like this under the Xbox brand, make it work as an Xbox accessory or standalone, call it Xbox Theater or something like that, forget Windows entirely but throw in the best, easiest to use Media Center features (rebranded, simplified, ...) and they could have a winner.
They really need to give up on the Windows Everywhere strategy. It's been a failure to the point where now all they use is the name, and it's time to realize that the name isn't helping them either.
Everyone here is quick to bash Microsoft, but in my opinion, Windows Media Center is really good at what it does and a lot better than anything I've seen in that category pumped out by Apple, especially in the TV department. If Microsoft's box is designed around this, it will be good.
I'm not saying the Apple TV is bad, just that it's not really much yet and leaves a lot to be desired.
Why is everyone saying that Microsoft is copying Apple? Microsoft has had services for this years before Apple ever did - its called the Windows Media Center. Use the extender for enabled devices, such as XBox.
Yeah, and we could connect our Macs to TVs before Windows Media Center came out, but so what? This is a new dedicated set top box we're talking about here, not a Media Center PC. The question is, what will MS bring to the market that isn't already there?
Comments
That took 30 seconds of my time and Wikipedia, which I know for a fact 6 year old kids can use these days to verify information.
Get a clue or be a joke. Those are the options.
Back on track... I wish I could go into an exec meeting at Microsoft and systematically crack the heads together of everyone present.
First they back Media Center, then they essentially stop updating it for a couple of years and focus on Xbox... which happens to have a Media Center Extender... which requires a full PC running the somewhat supported Win 7 Media Center to work... but then to Xbox they add the Marketplace for movies and cable TV over the internet (AFAIK Australia only ATM) outside of the Media Center Extender functionality...
...just as it looks like they are going to focus on the Xbox as their living room device (games/marketplace/IPTV and Silverlight support for an extended "App Store") this news leaks which puts the focus back on Media Center.
There is nothing wrong with two devices for two different markets, but relevant functionality needs to be supported on both platforms. If they are going with Media Center on Windows 7 Embedded it needs to support everything the Xbox does. A better idea would be to move the existing Media Center functionality into the Xbox.
In any case Microsoft have flip-flopped on this for almost a decade now. It's time to pick a strategy.
i'm not at all suggesting that Apple is THE progenitor of all great ideas however why is it that when Apple is involved in a certain category of product somehow legitimizes it for bigger companies such as Microsoft, now Google, to enter even if that category of product had already existed before Apple's entry?
name a feature of the apple TV that didn't appear in another product before ATV2 came out?
not that this isn't a dumb product from MS. why would i pay $300 for another box when all my HDMI ports are already taken up by my cable box, x-box and PS3?
it's like everyone is trying to sell a box these days but people forget that most TV's only have 2-3 HDMI ports
Just a month after releasing a combination Google TV Blu-Ray device, Sony slashed its prices, suggesting that sales of the device were off to a sluggish start.
It was a $100 off deal during Black Friday weekend.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921666273500
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Electron...at223900050005
Price not cut.
EDIT: Matt Burns, not MG Siegler.
Microsoft has been down this road before and quickly retreated when trounced.
Can you guys stop including this stupid "observation" MG Siegler made into every post about Google TV.
It was a $100 off deal during Black Friday weekend.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921666273500
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Electron...at223900050005
Price not cut.
why would you slash prices on one of the biggest shopping days of the year unless something is not selling to expectations?
Ahhh.... Microsoft. The king of the "Me-to's". Customers might get a bit tired of watching a blue screen through.
maybe they will change from blue screen to vertical multi colored bars
Can you guys stop including this stupid "observation" MG Siegler made into every post about Google TV.
It was a $100 off deal during Black Friday weekend.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921666273500
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Electron...at223900050005
Price not cut.
Did the price return to normal after the Black Friday weekend?
Did the price return to normal after the Black Friday weekend?
Yes, check the Sony and Best Buy links, Original Price $400, Black Friday Price was $300, now back at $400.
why would you slash prices on one of the biggest shopping days of the year unless something is not selling to expectations?
Ask that to every manufacturer/seller who's offering deals during Black Friday.
Maybe the games are okay... (I don't play games much)... but
1) The interface is horrible. Clutter and more clutter and hard to get at key features.
2) You have to pay $50/yr to access your Netflix account.
If these are the interfaces other companies think are straight forward.... my god...
IQ78
We have not rented anything from iTunes yet because we have Amazon on the TV, and a plethora of streaming technologies on our new (and wonderful) Sony S370 Blu-Ray Media device.
Microsoft could do really well at this provided they don't screw it up.
And if my aunt had a dick, she'd be my uncle. Which is more likely than this turning out well for MS. They'll dump half $billion or so into R&D, then dump the product 6 months months after release, when nobody buys it.
name a feature of the apple TV that didn't appear in another product before ATV2 came out?
Name a feature of any product that didn't appear in some previous product in one form or another.
What makes them think they'll be able to manage it this go 'round without being slapped down again?
Ask that to every manufacturer/seller who's offering deals during Black Friday.
and all the "deals" sucked
the laptops were all core 2 duo and older CPU's that were being hyped. mostly because everyone was stocking up on sandy bridge laptops and needed to clear old inventory
the PS3 had a deal later in december because the x-box with kinect was outselling it 2 to 1. almost no deals on the x-box with kinect. only deals were bundles where you might get $10 off but the price is the same as buying it all piece by piece.
lots of PS3 games on sale but not too much x-box ones. only the older x-box games were on sale like the force unleashed which i picked up for $5 after i bought Black Ops for $59.99
nobody wanted 3d tv and LED wasn't that big a seller either so those prices were slashed as well
... Microsoft already has a real competitor to the Apple TV, it is called the Xbox. ...
Which is why this product [Windows-based set top box] doesn't make any sense. Microsoft needs to accept the fact that Windows as a brand just doesn't carry positive expectations. (This is problematic for Windows Phone 7 as well.) People aren't going to buy something because they call it Windows TV. If anything, the name will be off-putting: Windows, in the public consciousness, equals complicated, hard to manage, something will always go wrong. Nor is the Windows interface useful in this type of product, so, very likely, this will have as much to do with Windows as WP7 does.
What would make sense, especially now that they've moved into the family oriented living room with Kinect (Xbox alone was always a bit of a geek/gamer toy) is to release something like this under the Xbox brand, make it work as an Xbox accessory or standalone, call it Xbox Theater or something like that, forget Windows entirely but throw in the best, easiest to use Media Center features (rebranded, simplified, ...) and they could have a winner.
They really need to give up on the Windows Everywhere strategy. It's been a failure to the point where now all they use is the name, and it's time to realize that the name isn't helping them either.
I'm not saying the Apple TV is bad, just that it's not really much yet and leaves a lot to be desired.
Why is everyone saying that Microsoft is copying Apple? Microsoft has had services for this years before Apple ever did - its called the Windows Media Center. Use the extender for enabled devices, such as XBox.
Yeah, and we could connect our Macs to TVs before Windows Media Center came out, but so what? This is a new dedicated set top box we're talking about here, not a Media Center PC. The question is, what will MS bring to the market that isn't already there?